Based on your comment and a few others, I ended up buying two packs of these as a starting point and they seem to work well. One sensor lost connection but I was able to fix it and the mesh is more dense now, so it may not happen again. Thanks for the recommendation.

My Logitec MX Master devices can be configured on Linux via Piper. Logitech Options (the official software) is for Windows and I’ve never messed with it, even on my Windows devices. The two MX Master devices I have work plug and play and having 2 Bluetooth connections and a dongle channel lets me easily switch between my computers without swapping mice. Apparently with the official software, I could drag the mouse from one computer’s desktop to another, but I’m happy to mash the little button on the bottom to tab between devices if it saves me having to interact with another hardware manufacturer’s half advertisement/half utility app.

Still using a 5 year old laptop with no degradation in performance and expecting at least another 5. All I had to do was uninstall some malware that was eating up all the system resources and popping up a bunch of ads. It was called Windows. :-D

Good point. If I know it’ll meet my needs, I’m sometimes inclined to buy tech that’s a few years old, especially if the newer version just adds cloud, AI, or something else I don’t want/need. In many cases it’s still marketed the same so I think end of support dates should be clearly marked on the product itself so the consumer can make an informed choice. Intentionally bricking a device should be treated as littering and the company should be responsible for disposal fees.

Linux is a different story because of the volunteer presence. If anything Linux should get subsidies for keeping e-waste out of landfills after the manufacturer has long abandoned the product.

My laptop is about 5 years old now and still runs as fast as the day I bought it, if not faster. I replaced the battery twice, but this thing could go another 5-10 years if I don’t drop it or spill something on it.

May they all fall asleep sunbathing on their yachts… and wake up redder than a traffic light.

The map in my head will be deemed content theft because it cuts into Google’s profits.

Totally feel that. I will go to extreme lengths to avoid ads.

I’m ashamed to admit I totally forgot about ddwrt/openwrt. It’s been a decade or so since I messed with that. Good call.

Agreed, and mode segregated networks so car traffic occurs on a few primary circulators while other streets receive mostly last mile traffic.

Good point. Startup effort is not the same as effort once you are comfortable with your system.

I had my turning point early on when I first learned to update all my packages from the terminal. For me, this changed the game compared to how Windows programs handled updates at the time and Linux became officially easier than Windows… for me.

I could see how this “point of equal ease”, could come later for some users, especially those who want to run Windows software or do something advanced.

Bonus points, once you feel comfortable with the software manager learn how to update Mint with the “apt” commands in the terminal. This will make you feel like an elite hacker while simultaneously teaching you a fast way to do a routine task, updating all your software. Make sure to reflect on how long this would have taken on Windows. :D

I’ve seen the utility of an ebike in my hilly sprawling US suburbia. I can only imagine those benefits would be 10x greater in an area with better urban design. I imagine this would open up huge swaths of land to non drivers when combined with good trains and possibly flatter terrain. Too bad euro ebikes are extremely speed regulated. :-(

Yep, I can taste the fucking plastic. Back to glass!

Sad to hear. As a German living in the Ausland for many decades its nice to see the Germans chat on here. Good luck with the transition.

I appreciate the rain in 10min. notifications, but there is no way I’d give an app access my sensors just for this, especially an app that is fully or partially ad subsidized. Is there a way to verify that it only accesses this one sensor?

This makes me think of how my parents’ generation would drive across town to save 5 cents on gas. Assuming a 13 gallon tank, you’re saving about 65 cents. Congratulations, big winner coming through! I will pay that 65 cents to have an extra 10 minutes of time to myself and have a hard time seeing how anyone would rather have the 65 cents.